Beyond the Facade

Chapter Six, Life Continues:

Serena\'s 13 birthday passed uneventfully as she failed to
portray to Darien her deep love for him. She got another chance
however at Darien\'s 16th birthday party. As everyone chatted and
enjoyed the cake, Princess Serena silently followed Prince Darien
to his room. She stopped outside, after he had shut his door, in
astonishment as she heard sobs coming from inside his bedroom.
Serena\'s eyes filled with compassion, and she quietly opened the
door without disturbing him. She walked up to him and softly
said. \"Can I hold you Darien?\"

His head shot up in surprise, and he turned away as though
to save his pride from her seeing him cry though it was obviously
too late to conceal that fact from Serena. \"No,\" he said gruffly.

She sighed and sat next to him. \"You do not have to save
your pride for me Darien. Believe me I understand the pain, and
I know how hard life is. I could be here for you and I will...if
you let me. Do not worry. I promise I would not tell anyone so
your pride can remain intact.\"

Darien turned and looked at her in surprise. *She is not
so naive as I thought. Perhaps a bit clumsy but mostly
intelligent, understanding, and compassionate.* Of course she
could not know his thoughts, and she looked down sadly when his
only comment was \"hm.\"

\"I am sorry.\" She let out a nervous giggle. \"I should not
have bothered you. I forgot how much you hate me.\" She stood up
to leave, but to her surprise he gently grabbed her arm and turned
her towards him as he stood up. Her eyes opened wide in a mixture
of curiousity and fear as he towered above her.

He let go of her arm quickly. \"I would never hurt you,\"
he promised, seeing the fear in her blue eyes. \"I was just
thinking it would be nice if you could stay,\" he managed to admit.

She nodded her head, and they sat down as she wrapped her
arms around him affectionately. He leaned his head on her shoulder
and sighed in contentment.

It was Amy\'s 13th birthday, and she was hurriedly fixing
her hair that she had accidentally messed up after her maid had
left. She knew she would be in big trouble if one strand looked
out of place. Her worry and fears increasing, she closed her eyes
and reopened them upon hearing the sound of water. When she
opened her eyes, she gasped. The entire place was flooded. \"What
is going on up here?\" she heard her father yelling as he ran up
the stairs.

*Oh no,* she thought frantically. *Did that water power
come out of my own hands? How did I do that? And more
importantly, how the heck do I get rid of it?*

Her father opened the bedchamber door only to have a
flood of water overtake him. Guards ran up and helped keep Amy
back as they saved her father from drowning. *So father does not
know how to swim,* Amy briefly thought while stopping her attempt
to get free of the guards to save her father. The guards
obviously had it under control. \"You worthless little brat,\"
he yelled at her as was typical of her easily angered
father though this time his anger, but not his words, was
justified.

When she came downstairs, and the party was canceled on
the grounds that her bedroom was flooded, her friends all
embraced her and uttered their apologies for what they knew she
would go through with her father. \"Take care Amy,\" they all
said as they left.

Trista, Michelle, Hotaru, and Amara all looked at one
another. They each knew they were all thinking the same
thing...that Amy was one of the inside defenders, and it only
followed that the other four were the inside defenders as well.

Raye realized she was not alone with her power, and Mina
and Lita realized they were not the only ones with power either.
However, they did not all get a chance to talk about it at the
next meeting because it was Mina\'s 13th birthday party, and that
would not be a \"proper\" event to discuss.
Trista\'s 20th birthday came and went as did Lita\'s 13th
birthday celebration.

Hotaru\'s 10th birthday came next. \"Happy birthday
Hotaru!\" everyone exclaimed. She smiled some, an unusual
expression on her face, as they all gathered around the buffet
and mingled and chatted. All of the princesses were getting very
close despite the divide between the two groups. Hotaru knew that
Trista and Amara and Michelle all wanted to talk with Amy and the
others about being sailor soldiers and their duties and such, but
all four knew that these others had to come to the realization on
their own. Thus they tried hard to keep their mouths shut on the
subject.

Those sailor soldiers of the inner solar system did have
a meeting at the end of January. Still unaware of being sailor
soldiers of course, but they were each to soon find out to a
certain extent. Raye pulled Amy aside, and they discussed her new
found power.

\"I saw that you have a water power,\" Princess Raye said
excitedly.

Princess Amy gasped. \"Please do not tell anyone,\" she
begged.

\"It is all right. I have a fire power,\" Raye explained.
\"I think we should tell the others. Maybe they have powers too.\"

\"And if they do not?\" Amy asked wisely.

\"Then...they are still our best friends; I think they
should know,\" Raye said.

Amy nodded. \"All right,\" she agreed.

After they came forward, Lita and Mina also explained
their powers they had discovered.

\"I am the only one without a powerrrr?\" Princess Serena
whined harshly.

They all gritted their teeth and covered their ears.

\"That whine of yours alone could wipe out a whole
planet!\" Lita teased.

\"Seriously,\" Raye agreed wholeheartedly.

\"I think you must have a power too,\" Mina said.

\"Yes,\" Amy agreed. \"Let us help you discover it.\"

Serena smiled a huge smile and eagerly agreed, impatient
to discover her own power.

\"You have to get angry,\" Lita and Raye said.

\"Well it is not really anger so much as desperation,\"
Mina added.

\"No, I think it has more to do with worry and
overwhelming anxiety,\" Amy said.

\"No, what I had was definitely anger,\" Lita said.

\"It could be that for each person it is different,\" Amy
added.

\"I will try them all,\" Serena said.

And she did, but nothing worked.

\"Think of something specific that caused you great pain,
anger, or anxiety,\" Raye suggested.

She closed her eyes, and the image of her father
holding her up in the air and spinning in the forest immediately
came to her thoughts. Intense pain and loneliness filled her
soul, and a huge blinding white light came out of her body,
destroying the entire Palace Gardens. The other four gasped and
ran out of the way to safety. Princess Serena opened her eyes
and gasped to at the sight. *Uh oh, Luna and mother are not
going to like this,* she thought in worry.

Queen Serenity and Luna came running out. \"What just
happened?\" Luna asked in astonishment when she saw the
destroyed gardens.

Queen Serenity quickly hugged her anxious daughter
close. \"It is all right Serena. You did not know. I know how
scary that power is when you first get it. I will explain all
to you. Come inside. Do not be afraid. You will learn to
control it and be more careful. I am sure of that dear
daughter.\"

Princess Serena followed her inside, expecting the
others to follow and tell the Queen of their powers. However,
they did not.

Queen Serenity explained to her daughter about how
she discovered her power with Miriam and how Luna\'s mother,
Lune, had helped train her to harness the power in more
productive and safe yet powerful ways. She promised along
with Luna to help Serena learn the same thing.
Serena smiled. \"Only if the others can join us mother.\"

\"The others?\" Queen Serenity asked in confusion.

To Be Continued...